This project is a part of wider and long-term international cooperation within particular program area "YMCA Europe Camp Program". This time the host is YMCA France and the project will be funded from the grant obtained from the French National Agency of Erasmus+. The event will attended by 40 participants from 18 countries.
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The project was initiated by YMCA Camps leaders from several national YMCA movements, however, it must emphasized that it is also directed to other (non-YMCA) organizations that run camping programs. This gives the project much wider dimension.
Youth camping is one of activities where educational values and principles of healthy living can be implemented in an attractive and safe way. There are many organizations that can boast of very attractive camp facilities, however, they are not worth much without good programme run by well-prepared people. For this reason the focus of this project is management and training human resources of camps. YMCA France is an association, which is vitally interested in development methodology of running camps as well as training camp staff and volunteers. They also have suitable camping sites. They are very well placed to be the host of this conference, which will be held In YMCA Le Rocheton Centre near Melun – 75 km from Paris.
In Europe, there are many more organizations with camping tradition, proved training systems and high camp standards. This project is a step towards building network that we call Program Coalition at Camping. For the first time, the conference will be attended by representative of non-EU countries. We also expect experts from the YMCA of USA, with whom YMCA Europe cooperates us in building world-wide networking at camping.
The overall goal is creation a system of common standards of running camps and training camp staff and volunteers. Adoption and implementation of common standards guarantees the quality of youth work in certified camping-sites in spite of location. Close cooperation and coordination is crucial to achieve this. Not all involved associations have sufficient experience. Especially in SEE organizations are still building their capacity. This project will assist them in that process. This training is addressed to these camp leaders who want to improve their competences in the field of management of human resources. It is assumed that thanks to the training and dissemination of the outcome, the number of competent camp staff with management skills will increase remarkably. It is important in the project that the system of training of camp staff and volunteers is not a substitute for formal education, learning and teaching systems in partner countries, but it is complementary with them.
Officially the whole project starts in Apr 2019, however, the Programme Group will start with the first preparations in January 2019.
